Toy
by blossomed-angel
Summary: Set in HP's 6th year. Hermione Granger is captured by a Death Eater and Voldemort gives her to her captor as a gift. Will Harry defeat Voldemort? Will Hermione find true love? Quite bizarre but I promise a fluffy ending. PreHBP. Fin
1. But the tigers come at night

"Hermione! Hurry up, or we'll be late for Defence Against the Dark Arts!" Harry hollered up the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories.

"I've just received an owl from my parents, I'll catch up!" Hermione shouted back.

Hermione turned back to the white envelope she held in her hands and ripped it open, wondering what news the letter would bring.

Seconds later, the white envelope fluttered lifelessly to the ground. Her eyes scanned through the message once, twice, three times, before crumpling it into an irregular sphere. Hermione went to lessons with the scrap of paper clutched tightly in her right fist. The smile that had previously adorned her face had disappeared leaving behind an expression of pure confusion.

She sat through Defence Against the Dark Arts silently, not even raising her hand to answer any questions. She stared at the crumpled letter that was in her hand, nearly forgetting to make notes. So she sat unmoving as the triple period dragged on, and, afterwards, she made her way painstakingly slowly to Potions. Harry looked at her with worry showing clearly in his eyes, but she remained silent. Ron was blissfully ignorant, as usual, and was complaining about having to take Potions to become an Auror.

"Such a load of rubbish! I mean, why would we even need Potions?" He continued ranting until they reached the classroom.

Hermione could not continue, she needed fresh air... she needed time to think.

"I can't do this." She said, exasperated.

She turned around and walked away, ignoring the shouts of concern from her two best friends and the stares of surprise she received from other students. She had just managed to round the corner when she literally walked into Professor Snape. There was a smirk in his face, betraying his amusement at her expense.

"And where do you think you are going, Miss Granger?" Snape sneered.

She looked up at him in fear.

"I-I was j-just going t-to the b-bathroom." She stuttered.

"I am disinclined to believe you, Miss Granger." He said bluntly. "The nearest bathroom is in the other direction. I do not allow my students to skip class without permission from their head of house or the headmaster. Since you clearly have neither, then you will turn around and go straight to the classroom." He said, towering above her. "NOW!"

Hermione jumped and walked quickly to the classroom and sat down next to Ron. Harry was sitting next to Neville today. Hermione tried to concentrate as she prepared the ingredients, but, one hour into the lesson, disaster struck. Her potion was—

"Green, Miss Granger. What colour is it supposed to be?" Snape sneered.

It was blatantly obvious he was enjoying this, and so were the Slytherins. They were all sniggering behind their head of house's back. Ron just stared at Hermione as though she had grown an extra head.

"Blue, Professor."

"And do you know what you did _wrong_?"

He just had to rub it in. Hermione's right hand was shaking uncontrollably now. Her head was bowed down, so that her hair made a curtain around her face to shield her embarrassment. She stared at the knife in her trembling hand, willing her hand to be still.

"Ignoring a teacher, Miss Granger? That will be twenty points from Gryffindor."

"I don't know." She said quietly.

"What did you say?" Snape said, surprised.

Even the Slytherins had stopped their sniggering for a moment.

"I don't know what I did wrong." Hermione said, loudly this time.

Whispers echoed throughout the room, and the Slytherins burst into howling laughter. Even the corner of Snape's mouth twitched slightly in his first victory over Hermione Granger in all the seven years he had taught her.

"Well, the Gryffindor Know-it-all appears to have lost her touch. Even Longbottom has managed to get a turquoise colour."

Hermione winced.

"Such a _disappointment_ our Head Girl is. But, you have another half an hour to make a second attempt at the potion, and if it is anything less than perfect, you will lose another fifty points for Gryffindor."

Snape strode to the front of the room and, when he saw that she was still staring blankly at her knife, he sneered at her.

"You had better start, Miss Granger, the clock's ticking. Silence in the classroom!" He said carelessly to the Slytherins, who continued laughing in silent fits of giggles.

Hermione sprang into action, and managed to achieve an Acceptable for her potion, but true to his word, because it was less than perfect, fifty rubies tumbled out of the Gryffindor hourglass. Hermione could tell Harry was fuming at Snape, but, after six years, he had finally learnt to curse Snape silently rather than express his opinions out loud in Snape's territory. Ron too was turning beetroot red with anger. They had barely made it out of the classroom when both of them exploded at the same time:

"That filthy—"

"That was so unfair!"

"He had no right!"

"He had all the right." Hermione said in defeat, cutting off their ceaseless flow of insults and rage.

"But Hermione! Just because you got something wrong once, he shouldn't have treated you like that! I mean, you do seem to be a little off, but I'm sure you won't make any more mistakes."

How wrong Ron turned out to be. Hermione lost points in nearly every lesson they had that day. In Charms, instead of turning her pigeon golden, she set it on fire. In Transfiguration, she turned her table into a huge mass of brown fur instead of a bear. At least in Arithmancy she was granted peace- she was not asked to do any demonstrations. By the end of the day, Hermione was not only depressed, but also suicidal. She looked around her madly, as though everything was just a dream. And it felt like that. Her grasp on reality was slipping, and she was unable to even walk properly by dinner time.

She somehow managed to make her way to the Great Hall and sit herself down next to Harry without having too many accidents. She only crashed into two suits of armour and tripped over numerous times.

She could not touch the food on her plate. She felt sick just watching Ron eat. The scrap of paper was now sodden with sweat and ripped into pieces, but was still sitting snugly in her hand. Hermione just could not believe the contents of the letter, but it had stayed in her hand all day, so if the letter was real, it meant that everything else was not. It must be just a terrible dream.

It was a dream that just turned into a nightmare. A huge barn owl soared into the Great Hall, carrying a black envelope. Hermione watched as it made its way to her and stretched her hand high into the air above her head, taking the letter just as the barn owl flew by. It hooted and flew away, gliding back through the window it had flown in from.

It was just so surreal, and Hermione wanted to laugh. Why was everyone looking at her with expressions of horror? The room was starting to sway dangerously. Harry was standing to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders, while Ron gaped at her with the contents of his mouth on full display. Hermione looked at the black envelope and ripped it open with so much force, the sound had echoed through the quiet hall.

_Miss Hermione Granger,_

_We regret to inform you that your father was discovered in your home earlier this afternoon. The Dark Mark was found above the house. _

_We offer you our deepest condolences._

_Signed:_

_S. Bones_

This could not be real. Hermione refused to let it be.

"This isn't real. This isn't… It can't…" She muttered as she crumpled the letter and merged it with the remnants of her other one.

Hermione smiled and walked out of the Great Hall. This had to be some sort of dream potion. Somebody had decided to play a joke on her. That was all this was, a sick joke. However, her path to Gryffindor was blocked by a large bat. Or someone who resembled one anyway.

"Yes, Professor, what can I do for you?" Hermione said cheerfully.

"The headmaster wishes to speak to you."

Hermione nodded and followed Snape to Professor Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagall was present as well. Dumbledore looked at Hermione with a grave expression on his face.

"Miss Granger, we had no notice of the attack that took place today. I'm very sorry." He said, looking very old.

Hermione was quiet for a very long time. "It's only a dream. It's all in my head."

"Miss Granger, this is no dream." Snape snarled.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. No, she would not listen. If this was someone's idea of a joke, then they were extremely perverted indeed. It was just a very cruel joke.

"Albus..." Professor McGonagall said worriedly.

"Miss Granger, the sooner you accept your parents' deaths the easier it will be on yourself and those around you. This – is – not – a - dream." Snape said, emphasising each word.

What if this wasn't a dream? Hermione realised. What if it was true? That her mother _had_ actually died of some unknown disease yesterday, and her father _had_ been killed today by some group of random Deatheaters. Tears flowed from Hermione's eyes. She would have woken up by now if this had been a dream. Professor McGonagall would not have participated in something so cruel.

Hermione fled the room. She ran to where she had wanted to go to before—outside. Hermione sat on the bank of the Lake, just behind Hagrid's cabin, next to the Forbidden Forest. There, she cried and grieved for her parents' deaths. The memories flooded back to her. All the good times mixed in with occasional dark glimpses of the past. She felt a poignant pang of regret when she realised that she had not even said 'I love you' to them for as long as she could remember. Like everyone else, she had believed that she had plenty of time later to deal with those minor details.

"If only…" Hermione sobbed.

Saying 'if only's was useless. It had happened, and there was nothing she could do about it. Hermione gradually stopped crying, knowing that her parents would disapproved, and slowly gathered her wits about her. She wiped her tears away and gulped in large amounts of fresh air to clear her fogged mind. That was when she noticed movement by the trees.

She blinked, unsure whether she had just imagined it. There was a faint rustling sound in the brush closest to the forest border.

She pulled out her wand and approached the edge of the forest.


	2. With their voices soft as thunder

Hermione was lucky to have side-stepped the first stupefy. Mind working once again, she immediately sent red sparks into the air, as a warning to the school. Her wand also emitted banging and crackling noises, causing Hagrid to rush out of his hut. As soon as he saw the black cloaks and silver masks, he immediately ran up to the school. Hermione continued sending out stunning spells at the Deatheaters as they poured in from the trees.

However, although she was an exceptionally talented witch, one against twenty Deatheaters and more was a hopeless cause, and she managed to stun a hadnful of the Deatheaters before she was hit with a cruciatus, and she fell. She lost count of how many curses she was hit with until she lost consciousness.

Hours later, Hermione had expected to be dead, but, unfortunately, regained consciousness to find herself surrounded by Deatheaters, in a pile on the floor, in front of the Devil himself. Voldemort. How she wanted to spit at his feet! To rail at him for the injustice he had wrought. What had her father done to deserve his wrath? What gave him the right to deprive children of their parents or let parents outlive their flesh and blood?

His blood-red eyes focused on her and pierced into her mind as she struggled to empty her head of the bubbling turmoil of emotions. His cold, cackling laughter cut through the tense silence.

"She is a fighter, isn't she? Severus, as you were the one who brought her to me, you may keep her. Tell Dumbledore that his precious Head Girl is dead. That should be a blow to Potter's conscience. Break her, tame her, and make sure that by the end of this month, she is ready to obey my orders. There will _not _be any more failed attacks like this one. Dismissed!" He hissed menacingly.

Pops signalled the departure of the Deatheaters. Voldemort, too, disappeared. Hermione was left, a trembling wreck, alone with Snape. He picked her up, off the floor, and port-keyed them from the deserted house to another site. Hermione presumed it to be his home.

The décor in the entrance hall was very Slytherin. All black, silver and green. Hermione struggled after him as he led her up the winding staircase, and she saw that the whole house had the same kind of embellishment. Everything about the house gave off a stench of wealth. Strangely, Hermione never would have guessed that Snape would have such a luxurious home, she had always imagined that he would live in an underground cave - quiet, private and dark, if he ever left those dungeons at Hogwarts.

He finally took her into a large bedroom. Everything was, yet again, black and green. The room was clearly once a girl's room. There was a large mirror and the wardrobes were filled with beautiful gowns and dresses. She looked inside the bathroom, before turning around and facing Snape.

"I do not know how you get yourself into these situations, Miss Granger." He said.

Hermione felt her anger building. That was all he could say? What the hell was she doing here? Surely Dumbledore would not allow for this arrangement to continue. However, she remained tactfully silent. Professor Snape was not even looking at her.

"You're lucky that you weren't killed on the spot." He snapped.

And then he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, most likely repressing a headache.

"You should have run, silly girl. I had hoped that if I took you to the Dark Lord, rather than any of the others, he would torture you for information and then chuck you straight back at Dumbledore."

Hermione was steadily growing more angry, and it was getting harder and harder not to shout back at the man standing in front of her.

"Instead, he had given you to me." He sighed.

"I'm sorry if I'm that intolerable to you, _Professor_. I fought back because I felt that it was the right thing to do at that time! If I was wrong to do so, then why am I still alive and Hogwarts still standing?" Hermione shot back at him.

"Miss Granger! Do you not understand the meaning of being 'given' to a Deatheater?" Snape said, losing his temper.

Hermione shook her head hesitantly. The tone of his voice was even more accusing than she had expected.

"When the Dark Lord 'gives' you a girl, it automatically means that that girl is your new plaything- your new sex toy." He snarled.

Hermione paled.

"Exactly, Miss Granger, now do you see? I need to destroy your spirit until you're nothing but a shell and then force you to take the Dark Mark. You are now technically my possession." He sighed again. "Please tell me that, like the majority of your classmates, you have already lost your virginity."

Hermione flushed and looked away, causing Professor Snape to swear and punch the wall with his fist. Hermione jumped back in fear at his show of violence.

"Finally frightened? Miss Granger, in this house, you are probably just as unsafe as you would be if you were in Lucius Malfoy's house. I will be expected to seek you out at least once a day. Do you understand what I mean, Miss Granger?"

"Isn't there any other way? Couldn't I 'escape'?" Hermione said frantically.

"Miss Granger, it is highly difficult for someone to find their way around this house, and even then, they would have to do complex spells to break through the wards guarding the doors. How are you to do this if I am expected to take away your wand? Any failures in complying with the Dark Lord's wishes will result in severe punishment. Even death." Snape emphasised the last word. "Are you willing to lose the Light side's only spy?"

Hermione shook her head.

"You will obey everything I say. I will not hesitate to use the Cruciatus on you. Although I am not partial to locking up my students and turning them into concubines, I know that it is impossible to convince the Dark Lord unless we do it properly." He said, sighing once more.

"You can't possibly mean that you're really going to make me do this!" Hermione cried, backing against the wall.

"Do you see any other solutions? The Dark Lord's ability in Legilimency almost rivals Dumbledore's. You have not even been taught the basics in Occlumency, how do you expect to keep this a secret from the Dark Lord?" He snarled.

"But-But you're my teacher!"

Hermione was desperate. To get to the door, she would have to go past Snape, and she was already in the corner. Her eyes darted left and right, looking for an escape route.

"Miss Granger, to the world, you are already dead! Of course the headmaster will be notified that you are still alive, but there is nothing, I repeat, nothing, he can do to rescue you without compromising my position. So I will have to act my part as an evil Deatheater."

There was only a look of distaste on his face. Anger was present, but no hesitation or remorse was there. Hermione could see no way out. She was literally cornered and his body was in the way. She felt tears pricking her eyes as she realised that there was no way out of this situation.

"Give me your wand, Miss Granger." Snape said.

Hermione clutched her wand tightly to her chest as though her life depended on it. Ironically, it seemed that her life did depend on it in that moment in time. She shook her head, watching him in fear. He, on the other hand, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose even harder and sighed.

"I warned you, Miss Granger. _Crucio_."

Hermione collapsed onto the floor, rolling about in pain. She screamed and screamed, hoping that this was just a nightmare. Somehow, her brain which had previously clung onto that hope, now refused to accept that hypothesis. After a few minutes of this torture, she was released and Snape knelt down and pried the wand from her fingers.

"I cannot risk your Gryffindor recklessness, so I must do this. Miss Granger, you need to understand that if I do not do this, the war will be lost. It is of utmost importance that you obey me." Snape said.

He took her wand into his hands and then, before her eyes, snapped it in half. Suddenly, Hermione felt very vulnerable. She watched as Snape pocketed the remaining pieces of the wand and shuddered. She was now at the complete mercy of the professor who had hated her for the seven years she had been in his classroom. Hermione stood up shakily and shivered under the Potions Master's stare.

"Miss Granger… take your clothes off."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed.

She immediately received another dose of the Cruciatus. She lay shuddering on the floor for several minutes after he alleviated the curse, but she quickly obeyed and took off her clothes, staring resolutely at the floor as her school uniform pooled at her feet.

"Miss Granger…" He sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders. "This will be painful."

"Thanks for the warning." Hermione said dryly.

He grabbed her chin and pressed his lips forcefully against hers. He forced her mouth open and inserted his tongue, probing her mouth. Hermione had tried to move away as she felt his hands travel down her body, but Snape just pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the wall.

His left hand played with her breast while his right went further down and touched her in her most sensitive area. She began to struggle and tears fell from her eyes, but he continued. He pressed one finger into her moving it in and out of her.

To her shame and humiliation, Hermione felt her body reacting to his attentions. Snape's lips travelled to her neck and bit down hard on the flesh, causing her to cry out. His hands had left her body and were unbuttoning his robes, but his lips continued kissing and biting her neck, before moving to her other breast and biting down hard. Hermione screamed and struggled even harder, to no avail.

"Please stop! Professor Snape! Please!" She cried, but her words were ignored.

Soon, he was undressed, and he re-positioned himself. His eyes would not meet hers, and his hands held hers high above her head. Finally, he looked at her and then plunged into her roughly, causing her to scream in pain. The tears were coming in torrents now. She could not believe that he had actually done it. Her professor had taken her virginity.

There was no more pleading, although Hermione's mouth continued opening and closing as though she were still speaking. Her eyes were unfocused, and the only noise in the room was her back scraping against the rough stone wall and their grunting.

When Snape finally pulled out from her, he laid his head on the wall just above her head and held her as she sobbed.

"I'm sorry." He said.

It was little consolation for what he had done, but it had a certain amount of impact on Hermione. She gradually calmed down and let her head fall forwards, against his chest.

"How long will this last, Professor?"

"Until the war ends, and then, your fate will not be within my power to decide." His voice was oddly calm.

In other words, if the Light lost, she would either be killed or given to another Deatheater. She fought back the urge to start crying again. Hermione knew that Harry wasn't ready for the war. So who knew how long it would take for it all to finish. She thought of what would have happened should she have been passed off to any of the other Deatheaters instead of Snape, and shuddered.

"Professor, I'm glad that you're the one who took me." Hermione said quietly.

Snape was obviously taken aback. He stood there, supporting her weight, for a little longer, before re-dressing and leaving her in a heap on the floor.

"Miss Granger, I will be locking the door. If you wish for me to bring you anything, just write it on a piece of paper. I will come back tomorrow."

The last part was unspoken. They were going to have to repeat the process. Hermione heard the lock clicked and moved slowly towards the bathroom.

She felt truly alone.


	3. As they tear your hope apart

Professor Snape had returned the following evening. There was a window in her room that overlooked the magnificent back garden and she had watched the sunset.

They both tried to put off doing the deed. Hermione asked after her friends' and professors' health and gave Snape a long list of things she wished to have, mostly consisting of books that could be found in her room.

Professor Snape answered her, saying that everyone was doing fine, although there were many people who were suffering the blow of Hermione's 'death'. As Snape had said the night before, Dumbledore could not do anything to help and had said so himself, but Snape assured her that if her life was threatened, Dumbledore would have him by the neck. Hermione laughed, even with her nervousness.

"Potter seems to be suffering significantly more. Your death was announced at Breakfast this morning. Nearly all the girls in Gryffindor had burst into tears. I must remember to thank Dumbledore for that wonderful fountain display…" He smirked. "The most spectacular had been Mr. Weasley chasing after Potter as he crashed out of the Great Hall in his anger. You are more liked than you believe, Miss Granger."

Hermione hated having to hurt so many people. She was wringing the material of one of the gowns she had found in the wardrobe. It was hard not to notice the tension and the unease in the room, particularly when Hermione was standing in one corner, furthest from the door, wearing a bright red dress that had a dangerously low neckline. It had been the only thing that she found that was not black or green. She spent the whole day pacing and trying to test herself on what she knew on random subjects to pass the time. She had found a stack of parchment and some quills and ink in one drawer, so she had used those.

Professor Snape was leaning against the locked entrance to the room, not meeting Hermione's eyes. She avoided his gaze as well. The tension increased when they both realised that they had nothing else to say to put off the inevitable.

"Miss Granger, we should—" He said, clearing his throat.

"I know Professor." Hermione said, cutting him off from saying those words.

He walked towards her and kissed her lightly at first, before going at full force. This time, Hermione knew better than to struggle. He untied the straps that held the dress in place and it fell to the ground. He licked at the wounds he had made the day before and let his hands touch her again.

She summoned up her courage and reached out and undid the first button on his robes. His lips returned to her mouth and he pushed her hands back down to her sides.

"Not yet." He whispered.

He removed his own clothes, as he did the night before, and moved her onto the bed before inserting himself into her again. He was gentler this time, and Hermione closed her eyes, waiting for him to finish. It was not as painful, physically, but it still felt humiliating- the fact that she did not want this, but had no choice but to comply.

He came much sooner than he did yesterday, and they lay together for a while. He caught his breath while Hermione tried to regain her sense of self-dignity.

She buried her face in his chest and cried again. Somehow, she felt more comforted hugging her professor than having to look at him in the face.

"Miss Granger, this is difficult, but you have to stay strong." She could feel his breath brushing over her hair.

"Can't you just kill me? At least that would save me the humiliation afterwards…" Hermione begged.

"You know that the Dark Lord would be most unhappy to hear of your death. And you seem to have forgotten what my other master would say if I let that happen. You may think that death is a more appealing choice, but I promise that you will hurt your friends less if you re-appeared suddenly at the end of the war. They won't care why or what you had done, only that you are safe. Dumbledore trusts me to look after" he smirked, noticing the irony. "you."

He pulled out of her and re-dressed. Hermione made her way to the bathroom and heard the door slam shut behind her. The night previous, she had been sick in the toilet. She felt nauseated again, but poured herself a glass of water instead and tried to keep the food she had eaten earlier on from making a guest appearance.

She found that at certain times of day, food would appear magically on her desk, and she would eat all of it, not knowing why she was so hungry. Snape returned every night, but there was no more delaying. Hermione had found it easier to cope mentally if he just, literally, pounced on her. She was sore after every time, but she always took a bath to recover. And it helped immensely.

Soon, a month had come and gone, but Voldemort had not requested to see her. Hermione had questioned this, and received a curt reply:

"I have dealt with it."

By the end of the second month, Hermione was already having to give Snape more than just a quick shag up the wall, or over the desk, or on the bed. She had been unwilling at first, meriting the Cruciatus a few times. So Hermione had reluctantly learnt how to perform oral sex.

Hermione wore different dresses every evening, to Snape's amusement. Somehow, the wardrobe seemed never ending. And deciding what dress she wanted to wear was the only choice she was allowed and it kept her from going insane, but she also had books to keep her going and to pass the time and prevent her from tearing her hair out.

When the third month came to pass, Hermione made a horrifying discovery.

After one evening's activities, they were both lying in the bed, when Hermione had sighed and told Professor Snape.

"Sir… I haven't had my period for two months running." Hermione said, wincing.

Snape cursed and pinched his nose after understanding the implication of that statement.

"I should have remembered to bring contraceptives." Snape said a very rude curse. "Dumbledore's going to have my head. I will have to verify this, tomorrow."

He seemed reluctant to know. Tomorrow came, and they had continued as usual, before she was forced onto her back and he muttered a spell. From the look of despair on his face, Hermione knew that she was, actually, pregnant.

"I can't believe… I've impregnated a student… Head girl no less… Merlin…" He said, sitting down on the bed with his back facing her.

He buried his face into his hands and breathed deeply, trying to control his temper. Hermione leant forwards and wrapped her arms around him.

"Sir, there's nothing we can do to change this…"

"There is, but I have to tell Dumbledore this anyway, and then I'll have to tell the Dark Lord. Either way, one of them will murder me. It just depends on which one will first."

Snape sighed. Hermione thought quietly for some time.

"Vol—You-know-who had said he wanted me to be completely obedient by the time he next saw me, right?"

"Indeed he did, Miss Granger, as you would remember, unless your memory has diminished as your time here has increased." He snapped.

"Then… tell him that I'm in love with you." Hermione said.

"What rubbish are you saying now?" Snape snarled.

"Love is a more lasting thing than fear. If I both love and fear you, that is the best combination to get me obedient, and You-Know-Who would believe that you have done your task, ignore the fact that I'm pregnant, and let things roll on."

"Surely you're not thinking of keeping it!" Snape was in shock.

"Professor, I do not believe in abortion." Hermione placed her hands on her hips.

"You can't possibly—"

"Professor, if you tell You-Know-Who that I'm in love with you, the fact that I'm willing to keep your child will only strengthen the fact."

"I cannot let you have this child." Snape said, standing up.

"And why not? It is _my _decision since it's actually _in _me." Hermione said angrily. "If you don't want to be the father, then don't be. Once the war is over, I'll bring it up myself."

"How will you go and continue your studies?" Snape said incredulously.

"Who said that I was going to?" Hermione jutted out her chin in defiance.

"This is insane! You were planning on going on to become an Auror like Potter and Weasley, weren't you?"

"Actually I had been thinking about Healing, but no one in the magical world would accept an employee who is a single mother. No one in the universities would even hear of it, so I will probably return to the Muggle world." Hermione mused.

"And have all seven years' education flushed down the drain?"

"Professor, this is a _life _we're talking about! Who gave you the right to decide whether this child lives or dies?"

"I will speak to Dumbledore, and he will make the decision." Snape said curtly, preparing to leave.

"No, bring Dumbledore here."

"Are you mad?" Snape exploded.

"If you keep him on the other side of the door, I would not have seen him, so V- You-Know-Who wouldn't even know." Hermione said calmly.

"Idiot girl!" He swore as he left the room.


	4. As they turn your dreams to shame

Hermione felt nervous. Snape was bound to return any minute, with Professor Dumbledore, and she was rehearsing what she was going to say to the mirror. She had been doing so all day, but she still felt queasy and nervous.

When the sound of knuckles rapping on the door, Hermione jumped five feet into the air. She hurried to the door and pressed her back to it to cease her trembling.

"Professor?" Hermione asked.

"Miss Granger." A familiar voice said. "it is good to hear your voice once again. Has Severus been treating you well?"

"Oh! Um, Professor Snape's been very kind, he's brought me everything I would ever need."

"Yes, I have heard complaints that your belongings seemed to be steadily disappearing. Miss Brown and Miss Patil had been most concerned."

Hermione smiled at the thought of Lavender crying over Hermione's missing notes, and also Ron's despairing expression as he realised that he had to copy his own notes from then on.

"And you, how are you faring, Miss Granger? I hear that you wished to speak with me urgently."

Now was the time. Hermione took deep breaths, and as soon as she started speaking, her rehearsing went straight out the window.

"Um, I'm-I'm pregnant, Professor." Hermione stuttered.

There was a split-second pause.

"SEVERUS SNAPE!" Professor Dumbledore's voice bellowed.

"Please, Professor Dumbledore… He didn't mean for this to happen." Hermione pleaded.

"He is your teacher and should have taken precautions, Hermione, this is serious." Dumbledore said gravely.

"But it may help him if he were to convince Voldemort that I'm in love with him." Hermione said.

Pause.

"And what gave you that idea?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Well, Voldemort wants me to be completely obedient, and I think that Professor Snape would have a hard time convincing him if I'm mentally so healthy. So, if Sn—Professor Snape insisted that I had fallen for him _and _I was scared of him, then it would fit because I don't want to abort the baby."

"You do not want to give it up? But Miss Granger, you know that this may hinder your education, in future."

"I know, and I don't care. I am not a supporter of abortion. It's not my right to say whether this baby should live or not. It should be allowed a chance to live."

There was a long period of silence.

"Very well, Miss Granger. I am not very sure that you are making the correct decision, but it is yours to make. I do not know whether Voldemort will agree to allow your child to live… but who knows? Time will tell. I wish you well, Miss Granger. I am sorry I cannot get you out of here, but it would put too much at risk."

"I can wait, Professor. Just make sure Harry and Ron stay alive. I don't want them to disappear on me."

"I will do my best, Miss Granger. Farewell."

And that was it. Hermione returned to the bed, and, sure enough, Snape entered soon after, looking relieved.

"He was furious."

"You look fairly intact." Hermione said dryly, and waited expectantly. "Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Snape scowled, but said nothing. This time, Hermione came to him. He looked surprised, but she began the process by kissing him first. He kissed back, but as though he was unsure.

"Can this time be less rough?" She whispered in his ear as he moved down to kiss her neck.

There was a momentary pause before he returned to her mouth and kissed her softly. He proceeded gently from there, eliciting moans of delight from Hermione. At the end, he had tried to pry himself from her, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and refused to remove them.

"It's the weekend, surely you don't have to go back to Hogwarts on a Sunday!" Hermione pleaded.

"Why are you being so difficult?" Snape snapped.

"Because, at least, if I have to bring up this child, I will be able to say to it that it had been made out of love with a relatively straight face." Hermione replied quietly.

She removed her arms, waiting for him to leave the bed, but surprisingly, he pulled the blankets over them both and pulled her close to him.

"Sleep." He ordered.

Hermione obeyed and closed her eyes, snuggling into his chest. She woke up a few times during the night, but he had stayed. However, when she woke up the next day, he had gone.

Hermione did not know why she had wanted him to stay with her the night before. She thought that, since he was going to be the father of her child, she may as well put some effort in. And also because she was supposed to act like she was in love with him… Hermione stroke her belly as she washed herself. When she had first arrived here, she had scrubbed her skin raw, hoping to get rid of the horrible feeling that clung to her after they had sex; she did not do so any longer...

Very late the next evening, Snape had come in.

"He wishes to see you. Tomorrow night." He said simply, before resuming his role as the 'evil Deatheater'.

He had left so quickly afterwards, Hermione had been frightened by his coldness. He had been more rough with her this time than he had in the past few months. She had washed herself and climbed into bed, sore and bruised.

She spent an hour preparing the next day, fidgeting whenever she thought she heard footsteps. She wore a black dress, with a shawl, and had put on some make-up to make her look a little weaker and more tired than she seemed. She looked once more in the mirror. She had accented her eye bags and created some bruises on her face. She made herself cry for the whole day to make her eyes red and puffy.

Snape arrived early in the evening. He deemed her to be presentable and swept her off by portkey to their destination. When they arrived, he immediately barked at her:

"Kneel!"

Hermione obeyed without fuss.

"Well! What a change! You have done very well, Severus." Voldemort said, sounding pleased. "And you say that she is pregnant _and_ in love with you? Speak, Miss Granger, are you in love with your captor?" Hermione trembled as her head was jerked upwards by her hair. Voldemort smiled gleefully at her lack of fighting spirit within her.

"Speak, Miss Granger! You will obey the Dark Lord!" Snape ordered.

"I-I have fallen in love with him." Hermione managed to squeak out.

Voldemort let go of her hair and she resumed her kneeling position. She could tell that there was only Snape, Voldemort, Pettigrew and herself in the dimly lit room.

"What a despicable thing, love is." Voldemort hissed. "But… incredibly strong. She seems slightly afraid of you as well. My, my, what _have_ you done to her, Severus?" Voldemort tutted as though Severus had been a very naughty boy.

Voldemort laughed as he walked in a circle around Hermione.

"If she wishes to keep this child so much, by all means, let her. I'm sure you are glad to have an heir to your fortune?"

"Very, my lord." Snape said, bowing.

"She seems to have lost her mind somewhat… What a pity! At least, if she is discovered, she will be of no use to Dumbledore either. I have reports of Dumbledore visiting you a few days ago. What happened there, Severus?" Voldemort said, resuming his suspicious appearance.

"He seemed suspicious of my nightly disappearances, and had followed me to my home. I assure you that he does not know Miss Granger is alive. I had noticed him before he realised and had convinced him I was transferring my work to my home so that I would not have to deal with the chaos the students create everyday." Hermione could hear the scowl in his voice.

"Well done, Severus. The old man must be going senile. No matter, we shall prevail over him and his pet, Potter."

"Of course, my lord."

"You have my permission to go, but… be a little less rough with the girl. She is the mother of your child, and I would not like to see an unhealthy child being born."

"Yes, my lord."

Snape grabbed Hermione and they portkeyed back. Hermione collapsed in his arms, shaking in fear. He carried her up to her room, comforting her. He stayed the night with her.


	5. He slept a summer by my side

As the months passed by, Hermione's stomach grew bigger. Snape came less frequently, and she had refrained from begging him to stay every time he did. He often seemed scared of her and her swollen stomach, and Hermione giggled at this; Men!They never had sex, since it was hardly a requirement anymore.

Strangely, it hurt Hermione to watch Snape leave, and over time, she began to realise that she had, in actual fact, fallen in love with him. Of course, she never told him this. Her mind was not that far gone yet.

As she grew bigger, she began to get depressed. She felt fat, ugly and unloved. Towards the last three months of her pregnancy, she hardly saw Snape more than twice a week, and she often spent hours crying. One day that Snape came back early, and caught her crying her eyes out in the bathroom.

"What's wrong, Miss Granger? Are you hurt?" He immediately asked.

"No, no. I'm fine." Hermione said, wiping her tears away and looking pointedly in another direction. "Uh… just hormones I guess…"

He sighed and did another check-up for her. He had been taking the place of a real Medi-Wizard, and when he, once again, confirmed that the baby was healthy, Hermione began to feel tired. As usual, he had packed up in record time and then disappeared through the door.

Hermione was staring at the door, torn between bursting into tears again and running out and begging him to come back, when, five minutes after his departure, it burst open, revealing two figures in the doorway. Two very familiar figures. Hermione rubbed the tears from her eyes and gasped. Hermione looked at Harry and Ron with a look of horror upon her face. They were going to be in so much trouble.

"Harry? Ron?" She said in a squeaky voice.

"Hermione! You're really alive!" Ron said, sounding relieved.

"What has that git done to you?" Harry said, looking at her belly. "I'll kill him. I told Dum--"

"You shouldn't be here! You'll be in so much trouble!" Hermione whispered, struggling out of bed.

"We've come to rescue you!" Ron said happily.

"We have to hurry, or else Snape will come back." Harry said, grabbing her hand.

The first thought that came to Hermione's mind was the fact that Snape would be killed. Just as they were dragging her out of the room, Snape appeared in the doorway.

"Potter?"

Just then, the fireplace, which had been empty for so long, lit up in a fire and someone stepped through, looking extremely enraged.

"Severus, I hope you have a good explanation for this?" Voldemort said, looking furious.

Snape dropped to his knees and bowed.

"My lord, I had let it slip that Miss Granger was alive, in the hopes that Potter would follow me. It had been a spur of the moment idea, forgive me if it displeases you." Snape said, bowing low.

"You are forgiven, Severus." Voldemort said, smiling.

Snape immediately said a spell, and Harry and Ron were suddenly bound by snakes. They formed coils around the boys' bodies, and, after a while, both boys realised that, if one struggled, both snakes would tighten their coils.

"Hermione! Do something!" Harry yelled.

Hermione moved forwards to free them, but was stopped by Snape's hand.

"Hermione, take their wands." He ordered.

"Hermione! Don't listen to him! We're your best friends!" Ron pleaded.

"Hermione, do you love them more than me?" He said in a strangely soft voice.

Hermione wanted to wrench free of his grasp and slap him, but it occurred to her that if she helped her friends, she would be signing Snape's death warrant. But if she helped Snape, there may be a chance that Harry and Ron would come out alive. Hermione looked from her friends to Snape, and gave in. She took both their wands from their hands and tried to convey her message to them through her eyes, but they were looking at her in complete confusion and horror.

"Harry Potter, betrayed by his own best friend." Voldemort sneered. "Because she has fallen in love with her own teacher."

"You're lying." Harry said, struggling against his tightening bonds. "You're lying!"

"Tell them, Miss Granger." Voldemort ordered.

"It's the truth, Harry." Hermione said sadly.

Snape turned Hermione around and kissed her, full on the lips, in front of her two best friends. She did not struggle, and, before she drew away, she heard him whisper:

"The anti-apparition wards. Get Dumbledore."

Voldemort was too busy taunting Harry to notice as Hermione slipped out of the room. Soon after she disappeared, she heard Harry and Ron's screaming in pain. She hurriedly performed the complex spell that destroyed the anti-apparition wards.

She then apparated herself away to Hogsmeade, hurrying to the Three Broomsticks. Ignoring the stares she received, she ran to the fireplace and, without permission, used the floo, tumbling into Dumbledore's office. She did not acknowledge Professor McGonagall or the Minister of Magic, who were both staring dumbstruck at the allegedly deceased girl. She immediately went to Dumbledore, gasping in pain and clutching her swollen belly with tears flowing from her eyes.

"Professor! Voldemort's there! He's got Harry and Ron! I had to leave Professor Snape behind." Hermione was sobbing hysterically at this point.

"Cornelius, call for the Aurors to go immediately to the Snape Estate. Hermione, stay here."

The Minister hurried into the fireplace, mumbling nonsense and Dumbledore grabbed Fawkes' legs before disappearing through the ceiling. Professor McGonagall had tried to convince Hermione to go to the Hospital Wing, but she refused.

"Miss Granger--"

"I'm sorry Professor, but I must go back."

And before she could be stopped, Hermione jumped back into the fireplace with a sprinkle of floo powder, and hollered: "Snape Estate, third floor fireplace!"

She was then spirited away by the fire, and found herself thrown out onto a hard stone floor. She winced, but stood up quickly. She was in a dark corridor, and she did not know which way to go. She began to panic. Surely, by now, Voldemort will have noticed her absence? Suddenly, she heard Snape's voice. Her heart plummeted. He was screaming.

Her heart gave a huge, painful wrench and she followed the sound, running up the stairs, going through the maze of corridors until she reached her room.

"I did not expect such treachery from you, Severus. It is time you said good bye to the world. _Avada_—"

"_STUPEFY_!" Hermione yelled, crashing into the room.

Voldemort was surprised by her appearance and only just managed to deflect the spell. Hermione removed the snake-bonds from her friends' bodies, and threw Harry his wand.

"A pregnant girl, a reckless boy, and a treacherous man. All trying to fight against the most powerful wizard of all time." Voldemort sneered.

"Dumbledore is, and always will be, twice as powerful as you ever will be." Harry snarled.

In perfect synchronisation, Hermione said "_Stupefy_!" at the same time as Voldemort and Harry both cried "_Avada Kedavra_!". Voldemort's spell connected with Hermione's while Harry's hit Voldemort at the heart. Time went in slow motion from then on. Voldemort collapsed, red eyes wide open in shock as he scratched at his chest and wriggled about in pain. However, he was still alive, that was plain to see. His spell had formed a link with Hermione's, and she could do nothing as it over-powered her stupefy, and she was flung backwards into the hallway and against a metal cabinet, most likely the one in which Harry and Ron had hidden in beforehand, ready to rescue Hermione.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron shouted in unison.

Harry's eyes blazed with an unknown fury and he pointed his shaking wand at Voldemort's body. Snape was still recovering from the long bout of Cruciatus he was suffering and Ron ran to Hermione's side.

Dumbledore appeared, by Ron and Hermione's side along with ten Aurors and they rushed into the room, just in time to witness Harry cast the Avada Kedavra one last time, and Voldemort's screams of pain and revenge die down as the blast of green hit his body. Harry had done it. Harry James Potter had killed Lord Voldemort once and for all, destroying his long, dark reign of terror that had lasted for far too long.

Hermione had slid down onto the floor, and felt immense pain. She gasped for breath and struggled to stay conscious. Ron squeezed her hand and kept on saying that 'everything will be alright, just hang on'. Hermione smiled at him, but tears of happiness streamed down her face. Voldemort was gone. Harry and Ron were alive. And so was Snape.

Hermione lost consciousness with that thought.

When she came to, she was surprised to find herself in the Hospital Wing. There was a huge pile of flowers and chocolates by her bed and smiled as she caught sight of a brand new wand sitting at the top of the pile.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, smiling at her.

Hermione smiled back, but winced. She had a bandage on her head and at various other places on her body. Her hand immediately went to her belly, and she was comforted to find that the bulge was still there.

"The wand was a gift from Severus. He felt guilty for having destroyed your other one. The rest…" He gestured at the four foot high pile of presents. "Are tokens of admirers and friends. I think that the Weasley twins are responsible for trying to send in some inappropriate objects, but you will have to ask Madam Pomfrey exactly what, for I had not been given the details."

Hermione smiled at the thought of the twins trying to send her something like a toilet seat that they had attempted to give to Harry in his first or second year.

"How are you feeling, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"I'm fine, Professor. Although I would feel better if I were allowed to do my NEWTs before I had the baby." Hermione said seriously.

"I will try to arrange what I can. I think that I will let Mr. Weasley and Harry come in before they stampede through the doors, they have been waiting for news of your recovery for a week." Dumbledore chuckled.

"A week! I've missed a week's worth of work!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Do not worry yourself. Your friends have been saving their notes for you." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling maniacally.

Hermione snorted.

"Probably so that I can sort through them and tell them what's needed and what's not." She said.

"I hope to see you at dinner, Hermione. That is, if you are allowed to leave, of course." He added, noticing that Madam Pomfrey was looking at him in disapproval.

As soon as the doors to the Hospital Wing were opened, Harry and Ron and other Gryffindors rushed into the room.

"Hermione!"

"She's awake!"

"She's alive!"

"You seem a little unhappy…" A dreamy voice said.

Luna Lovegood was standing right next to Hermione, smiling. Hermione was a little sad. She knew that, soon, she would be leaving all these people behind, and she felt like crying then and there. Instead, she put on a brave smile and shook her head at Luna.

"Oi! Harry! Tell us again what happened!" Seamus yelled.

The crowd was growing larger, even Madam Pomfrey gave up trying to stop more people from entering and sat down to listen as Harry recounted his story.

Hermione did not know at which point of the story she had begun to feel tired, but she fell into a deep, comforting sleep sometime before the end.

* * *

Thank you to those who reviewed, and for the constructive criticism that some have given me. I will try to find time to make individual replies, but I'm back in school, and I have a lot of revision and coursework to do, so i won't be able to update very often. I'll try to do so every week or so until my exams officially start. 

blossomedangel-


	6. and still I dream he'll come to me

**Author's note: **I have left an important note ot the readers at the bottom of this chapter. Please read. And I would like to continue my disclaimer, by saying, once again, that none of these characters, or anything else that you recognise from J.K.Rowling's work, belong to me.

* * *

Hermione took all of her exams three months before everyone else, but as she had promised Dumbledore, she did not even slip a hint to her friends. She finished her NEWTs knowing that she had excelled herself, but as every day passed, she steadily grew more and more unhappy. Ron and Harry both had girlfriends, namely Lavender and Ginny, to spend time with, so she often found herself taking a stroll on the grounds, alone. Snape had never gone to visit her, and she did not expect him to do so. 

She wrote a letter to him, one night, to relieve herself a little.

She wrote that she knew he did not want the burden of a child. After all, he had been the one to suggest abortion in the first place, so she wrote an apology for leaving without letting him see it.

She knew it was a little early, but she wanted to be able to leave as soon as she was able. So she prepared a broomstick, although she hated flying, because it was her easiest route for escape. She also had the house-elves prepare a basket of food, and she put a preserving spell on it. Then she shrank all of these and put them in her pocket and carried them with her at all times.

She wrote separate letters for Harry and Ron, asking them for forgiveness and not to search for her. She wrote one to Dumbledore, explaining why she had to leave- not just because she would not be able to continue into University or get a decent job, since she had given birth out of wedlock, but also because she had fallen in love with Snape. She begged Dumbledore not to tell him in the letter, and asked for forgiveness again. She also asked him not to look for her, because it would allow her to bring up her child without having to keep running away.

She wrote goodbye letters to all of her teachers and other close friends and, as she did with the food, shrank all the letters and put them into another pocket.

She was in labour much earlier than she expected. Her screams seemed to echo throughout the whole school, and considering that it had been early hours of the morning, probably waking everyone up.She felt a strange sense of satisfaction thinking that other students would be suffering alongside with her, and brushed aside the small, but insistant, voice in the recesses of her mind saying that Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey would have thought of casting a silencing charm so as not to disturb the other students.

It was mid-morning when Hermione finally had a chance to carry out her plan. Everyone was in lessons when Madam Pomfrey had left her patient, seemingly asleep, alone. Madam Pomfrey, it turned out, needed to get some potions to replenish her supplies from Snape.

"I'll tell him as soon as I get down there. No doubt he'll come sprinting at top speed. I wonder why Albus hasn't told him yet…" Madam Pomfrey told the 'sleeping' girl before leaving.

Hermione knew that the headmaster probably deduced her plans and had not told Snape. She climbed out of bed to prepare for her departure. She left the stack of letters on her bedside table and carefully manoeuvred herself to sit on the broomstick safely with the new-born baby in her arms. She looked around frantically, taking in everything about the Hospital Wing in a last desperate attempt to ingrain every single detail into her mind, for fear of the impossible task of forgetting Hogwarts. Once she was mentally prepared, she broke the window nearest to her and flew away.

"Muggle World, here I come." Hermione said, in tears.

The castle disappeared behind her, as did the Forbidden Forest. Memories of her time at Hogwarts flashed through her mind as she flew over the fields and cities, and the tears that she had been hiding behind her smiles in the last few weeks were finally freed from her tight control. She returned to her Muggle home first, but was surprised to find her cousin there.

"Mike! What are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed, hugging her cousin.

He was five years older than she was, and just as intelligent. The hard-working, know-it-all genes seem to run in the family. He was surprised to see her, but that was nothing compared to what he felt when he spotted the baby.

"Hermione! It's great to see you! Your father left this house to me. I'm supposed to be your guardian, but I couldn't contact you. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in school? It's early March! And why have you got a baby?"

Sometimes he was a little overwhelming. Hermione sighed and, after looking behind her to make sure no one was looking, entered into the house and locked the door behind her.

"Mike, I have people coming after me. I just need to grab some stuff and go. How was the funeral? Where have they been buried?" Hermione asked as he followed her upstairs.

"Hold on! Are you running from the law?" Mike said, frowning.

"No. It's... it's some random people. I don't know… I don't know what to do. I wanted to have a family for this child, but how is it possible? The father hates my guts, people won't hire a single mother where I've just come from, so all I can do is come back to London. I'll figure something out..."

Hermione took out a duffel bag and began stuffing clothes, blankets and medicine in. She grabbed some books, CDs and her Discman, and also a washbag. She went back downstairs and sat down on a sofa.

"I'm sorry for walking in like this. I'm glad you left my stuff alone though."

"No problem. I hate it when people rifle through my stuff. As your supposed guardian, you're welcome to come back or call me anytime. If you need cash, I'll give you some. I have to tell you, though, you parents left all their money to you. And that's a lot of money. Here's the bank account details…" He said, taking a piece of paper off the magnet board on the wall. "And your credit card."

"Thanks Mike. If anyone comes to find me, tell them I've gone off to America or something."

They both jumped at the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Will do. Hurry." He said, ushering Hermione out the back door. "And good luck. What's the baby called?"

"I don't know yet."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked.

"Girl." Hermione said, smiling. "Thank you so much, Mike. Bye!"

Hermione disapparated as soon as he had closed the door and landed in the middle of Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, a lot of the people milling about recognised her as the girl who helped the Boy-Who-Lived-Once-More win against Voldemort, and began to crowd around her. After a long time, she managed to escape the clutches of admirers and autograph-wanters and sheescaped to Gringotts to transfer all of her money into her parents' bank account. Then She hurried to Ollivander's and bought a new wand, to his deep disapproval.

"You are making a mistake, Miss Granger..." He said gravely, but unheard, as she disappeared out of the shop.

She then apparated to Dover, and used her new credit card to buy tickets to travel to France. On the ferry, she changed her appearance so that she would not be recognised. From France she travelled to Switzerland, and when she arrived there, she rented a flat and stayed there for a few weeks.

She grew more tired as every day passed by. The baby often woke up at unearthly hours of the night, howling for its mother. She lived on her parents' money for a long time until she managed to secure a temporary post as a librarian and a waitress in a grubby bar. She had to make sure that no one would be able to trace her movement, and her use of the credit card would leave a nice, neon bright trail behind her.

She hired a nanny to take care of her growing child during the day, but the stress of having to run between two jobs and taking care of a one month old daughter got to her and she frequently had nervous breakdowns, and cried herself to sleep almost every night, wondering what everyone else was doing. She called Mike one day at the beginning her second month in Switzerland.

"Hermione? Listen, there are people looking for you. Apparently they've received news that you're in Switzerland. You have to run. This guy is really freaky. He looks like an overgrown bat in my opinion. I'm afraid that I might have made a negative impression, I don't seem to have made it into his good books... I mean, who does he think he is? Stalking about the neighbourhood in those clothes. It's almost as though he's been transported from the middle ages to modern times."

Hermione giggled, regardless of the panic that was settling in and the fear that wass causing her heart to race.

"I will Mike. Thanks a bunch. I'll be heading for America next."

That was a lie, but she knew that phones could be magically monitored, and, if Mike was the victim of legilimency, he would not be able to betray her true location. Within five hours after the phone call, Hermione was on her way south, to Spain. She had changed her appearance again, and now looked like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. She secured a job as a full-time secretary in a law-firm. How she managed it was a mystery.

She had stayed in the east of Spain in complete security for another month, until she ran into Tonks in a coffee shop. It was hard to miss Tonks with her combat boots, bright pink hair and the brightly mismatched clothing she wore. Luckily, Hermione's Spanish did not sound too foreign after a month's practice, and Tonks was just staring blankly at Hermione by the time she had finished speaking. Tonks conveyed her own message very crudely, using hand gestures and facial expressions, saying that she could not understand any spanish and that Hermione should try her companion. Hermione then said 'oh' and turned to her companion, a short, stocky man with a bristly moustache that resembled the bristles of a toothbrush, whom Hermione did not recognise. Hermione explained that she was merely apologising for spilling the coffee and wondered whether Tonks wanted a new one.

"The girl wants to know if you'll accept a new coffee as an apology." The man grumbled.

"Oh! So that's what she was saying! Why not?" Tonks said, nodding her head emphatically.

Hermione pretended not to understand English and bought a de-caff for Tonks, knowing that it was her favourite, before she disappeared, at top speed, to her flat. She left telephone messages for her employers notifying them that she had urgent business home and had to return to England, and threw some money on the bed for her landlord and disapparating with her daughter.

She changed her appearance as she landed in the northern part of Spain. She then travelled to France by car, and settled down once more. It took her a long time to get a job, but she did. This time, she worked as a waitress in a little French café. Unfortunately, her time in France was short lived. Three weeks later, Snape walked into the restaurant. Hermione had immediately turned her back to him and busied herself with taking down the customers' orders. From over the din, she heard Snape trying to communicate with the Maitre in broken French that he was looking for a girl that matched Hermione's description almost too perfectly for comfort.

The Maitre had listened to the description and shook his head, to Hermione's relief. That just meant that the Maitre had forgotten her existance. She had felt Snape's eyes sweep over her as he left the brasserie, but her pulse calmed down when she heard the door slam shut.

After work, she hummed to herself as she counted the tips she had earned that day and added the number to the wages she had been paid earlier on that day. There was enough to pay for the nanny and her living and other expenses, but she still needed to leave France as soon as possible. She had already handed in her resignation form to the Maitre. She had turned the corner towards her apartment when she walked into Snape himself. She could tell by his obvious lack of shaving and black eye bags that he was exhausted and Hermione could predict that his temper would be highly volatile, more so than usual.

"Miss Granger." He said, grabbing her arm.

"Mais qui etes-vous?" Hermione said in fluent french, sounding surprised.

She struggled against his hold on her.

"Aidez-moi! Aidez-moi!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

It was a busy street, so a crowd began to build. To add to the drama, she burst into tears.

"Il est fou! Je ne sais pas qui il est, et il me lache pas! Il parle Anglais en plus! Je ne connais pas l'Anglais, moi!"

"Hey you! Let go of the girl!" One of the nearby men said.

Snape looked furious.

"Miss Granger! Stop this madness this instant!" He snarled, shaking her roughly.

"Comment vous vous-appellez, mademoiselle?" the same man said, stepping forwards.

"Joanne. Joanne Gouvieux."

That had been the name Hermione had adopted when she was applying for jobs. The man who was fighting for her cause was almost as tall as Snape, and more muscly. And Snape would not be able to get away with doing magic in a street full of muggles. So she stood a good chance of escaping.

"She is Joanne Gouvieux, not zis 'Miss Granger' you are looking for." The man said in a heavy French accent.

"I assure you, that this girl is Hermione Granger." Snape said, snarling.

"I cannot believe you, since you were the one who attacked her. Let her go." The man said.

A few more muscly men were arriving on the scene. A few of the French women tutted at Snape, and Hermione felt his grip tightening.

"Il me fait mal!" She cried in a pathetic, whining voice.

"Let go before I call the police!" the man ordered.

Snape reluctantly released Hermione and she shouted a 'thank you' in French to the man before running away, crying. She took a very winding road back to her flat and repeated the process of what she had done in Spain and Switzerland, and apparated elsewhere. Anywhere. She ignored her heart that was aching for the man who had almost discovered her. She did not allow herself any disillusions that he was worried for her, hence the state of his physical appearance just now.

As soon as she arrived in Spain, she went to a Wizarding district, with her Hermione Granger appearance, and sent an owl to Dumbledore:

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I was close to the scene, watching as Professor Snape attacked a completely innocent French girl. And he has been harassing my cousin, Mike. I beg you to stop him. I don't want to harm other people and it hurts me to see him again. Do you not understand how it feels to see the man you love, who doesn't love you, search for you for unknown reasons? Perhaps I should wait to find out why he's looking for me, yet I'm frightened of the answer. I do not want my daughter to be taken away from me. I have named my daughter. She is now called Serena. Don't contact me, I'm safe. Say hello to everyone for me._

_Hermione Granger_

She sent the letter by owl and then left for Italy.

* * *

I am really very sorry for updating in such a long time. This has been a very difficult chapter to write, especially as I have been typing so fast to edit this in the edit mode, that I keep pressing the wrong button, which makes all the changes disappear and so I have to retype everything. And I have also had GCSEs and I'm now in Summer School, so I've been very busy. 

I am especially sorry to my reviewers and would like to (hug you all to death, but I'll refrain from doing that) thank you all. I'm just going to add a few comments of my own:

**McTurtles** - Yes, I love Les Miserables, especially the music.

**Readers **in general - I hope you are enjoying my fic so far. This chapter is the start of the next and final part of my story. The next chapter is likely to be quite violent, just to warn you. I'm sure many of you are wondering why on earth I bothered with this whole 'escape' thing, and are asking 'Why didn't she just make Snape marry Hermione and finish the fic?'. There is a point to this chapter that seems to do nothing but show us Hermione's sudden and strange actions. Remember that she has just given birth, so her hormones will be all over the place and she might not be thinking straight. Also, many of you will have (hopefully) spotted that it's not just Snape who is chasing Hermione, but the Order seems very intent on 'catching' Hermione. Dumbledore has the power to stop the search at any time, but why doesn't he use it? Please enjoy this fic, and be warned that the next chapter or the one after it, if it exists, may have some not so nice events. Happy reading Harry Potter 6 as well!

Speaking of Harry Potter Book 6. I know everyone is excited that Book 6 is out, but I would like to ask you not to let whatever you have read in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' to affect your views in this story. Remember that this story is pre-HBP. I have already heard bad news that has some relation to Snape that appears in Book 6, so please please please keep in mind this is pre-HBP.

Thank you for reading, and if you have enjoyed this chapter/story (so far), feel free to review (cough!cough!), and if you haven't enjoyed this fic, please leave a comment on what is wrong with it. Criticisms will be extremely welcome.

-- blossomed-angel --


	7. That we will live the years together

Author's note: No violence in this chapter. It'll be in the next one. For those who aren't into sadism, torture, etc. skip the next chapter, I'll explain things afterwards, most likely, with less graphic details.

* * *

How Hermione was grateful that her parents had forced her to learn so many European languages. She was now working as a shop assistant in a large department store. Her spoken Italian was not as good as her French, Spanish, or even her German, but it was improving with everyday that she spent in the shop.

She had almost screamed in frustration when she caught sight of Remus Lupin and Tonks in the store. Knowing Remus, he'd be able to identify her smell within seconds. She snuck off to the lingerie department, knowing that no man would even dare enter here. She was correct. Tonks entered, on her own, and looked about. She spotted her, but overlooked her, most likely thought that Hermione looked too young. Indeed, Hermione had chosen to appear only sixteen years of age.

When she was sure both of her old friends had left, she returned to the ladieswear section. Only to find herself staring at Ginny Weasley. Hermione really felt that the world was out to get her. Ginny saw her and grabbed her arm.

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked at her blankly and asked her, in italian, how she could help her.

"It must be you. Snape said to look out for anyone between sixteen and eighteen, working part-time in little places like cafes, bookstores, the like."

Hermione looked over and saw that her manager was nearby and she asked her for help, saying that she could not understand what the customer wanted.

"How can we help you, Miss?" my manager asked politely, and in English.

"Oh, you see, this is one of my friends. She ran away from home a few months ago. Her name is Hermione Granger."

The manager translated back to me, and Hermione looked at Ginny with a confused expression.

"I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken, that is not her name." Her manager said.

"Oh, but that must be her!"

"No. Not I. Name is—" Hermione said, keeping her italian accent.

Suddenly, a loud booming voice appeared from behind Hermione, asking what on earth the commotion was about. Hermione's manager, explained to the boss, that there was a mix-up in identities. The boss then said that he had little patience for this sort of thing, and demanded that Hermione left the building at once. When she asked about her job, he informed her that it had been terminated, before sweeping away. Hermione's manager tried to console her as she wept.

"You must be mistaken, for she is here to make money to support her mother. Her mother is sick and her father has left home. She is the only one capable of supporting both of them." The manager explained to Ginny.

Ginny paled.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry… Hermione would never have made up a story like that."

Hermione shook her head as though understanding that Ginny had apologised, and smiled at her reassuringly. She went into the staff-only area, where she changed into casual clothing and disapparating back to her flat. When she arrived, she gathered her belongings, and repeated the tiring process. Only…

"Open up the door, Hermione! We know you're in there!" Ginny's voice yelled.

There was repeated knocking, and Serena was beginning to wake. Hermione disapparated just in time to hear the door being forced open. She went directly to an Owl Post, and wrote another letter, angrier, complaining about him sending people after her against her will, and said that another innocent girl was going to suffer because of the Order's mistakes. Hermione ended it with an angry scrawl before sending it off. She then made for Germany.

She remained on her toes for weeks, expecting at every turn to see another member of the order, but, to her surprise, she managed three months without any problems, and she finally began to feel safe. She had a well-paid job working as a receptionist. Serena was growing up and learning English and German at the same time.

Hermione still hired babysitters to look after her daughter during the day, and Serena was always waiting at the door for Hermione to get home.

One day, Hermione returned home to find a dark and empty flat. She found the nanny she had hired bound to a chair and dead. This was definitely not the work of anyone in the Order. Hermione was horrified.

Where was Serena?

Hermione packed her things and wiped all of her fingerprints from the apartment. As she left the flat, she noticed a scrap of paper on the ground. She picked it up and her mouth fell open in horror.

_I have your daughter._

Lucius Malfoy 

Hadn't all the Deatheaters been rounded up? Why was Lucius Malfoy still roaming the streets? Hermione ran to the nearest telephone box.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end answered.

"Mike! I'm in trouble… I need help…" Hermione sobbed.

"What's happened?"

"Someone broke into my flat, Mike… They killed the nanny that I had hired and… he's got my daughter, Mike… He's got Serena!" Hermione was near hysterics.

"Look, you need to calm. Are you talking about that creep who looks a bit like a bat?"

"No! No… He wouldn't do that… it's someone else. Oh God. Do you have anyway of contacting the 'creep who looks like a bat'?"

"Well, he left me a mobile number."

"Please, call him and say that I'm in trouble. Mention the name Lucius Malfoy. Remember, the name Lucius Malfoy."

"Are you sure Hermione? Do you need me to buy you a plane ticket to come back?"

"No… I'm in Germany. I think they'll know where I am."

"Ok. I'll call him now. Please, stay calm. Go to the police."

"I can't! They'll think I killed the girl!" Hermione said, bursting into tears.

"Keep yourself together. Call me if you have any more problems."

"I will."

The line cut. Hermione walked along the streets, calling for Serena. In the end, she sat on a bench in a park and cried. It was her fault. She should have been more cautious. She continued to cry until she felt someone else sit down on the bench next to her.

"Seven months, Miss Granger." He said. "You held out for longer than anyone expected."

Hermione continued to sniffle.

"I received a rather strange phone call from you cousin. He thought that I was Lucius Malfoy and kept on saying that you needed Lucius' help. I hope that is not the case." Snape said dryly.

It was too dark to discern his expression, but his voice sounded so tired.

"Lucius Malfoy… what does he have against me?" Hermione whispered.

"Well, considering that you're the only person alive I know who witnessed him taking part in Deatheater activities," a memory of blonde hair flashed through Hermione's mind, and she shuddered. "and I, as an ex-Deatheater, am not allowed to testify, he is probably out to silence you."

"Oh Merlin… to think that I did this. I thought that by staying away and bringing my daughter up in a society who doesn't really care if you're a single mother or not would be better for Serena. I didn't think you would be so calm about it." Hermione confessed.

"I'm not calm about this, Miss Granger. If you had acted like a mature woman and stayed put…" he cursed. "we wouldn't have spent months searching for you. Dumbledore would not let me continue searching after you sent in that letter claiming that I had harassed innocents. And then the rest of the Order was forbidden from searching after having caused a sixteen-year-old girl to lose her job and therefore deprive she and her mother of any income. I am very curious, Miss Granger, to know why you had made that slip of buying de-caffeinated coffee for Nymphadora. She had alerted us immediately, and we had found that you had headed up to the north of Spain. It was easy to deduce from there that you had escaped into France. And in Venice, Remus had caught your scent in the department store, but Tonks being so short-sighted did not see you. And Miss Weasley _apparently _caught the wrong girl."

"I was getting so stressed out, continuously finding the Order just on my tail! Why wouldn't you just leave me alone?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Because we knew Malfoy was on your tail. And look! Something has happened to leave Hermione Granger crying for help." Snape sneered at her.

His voice was hostile now. And Hermione flinched, feeling her heart grow heavy.

"Will you help me find my daughter?" Hermione asked.

"Our daughter. I'm not having you disappearing again. I can't deal with the stress of having to chase after you."

"There was a reason I ran."

"Yes, you could not bear the shame of being a single mother. Couldn't your intelligent brain understand that Dumbledore would have vouched for you? And you're just as famous as Potter, who would turn down the chance to have you as an employee?"

"No, not just that…" Hermione said. "I couldn't stay… when I was in Hogwarts, after Voldemort had been defeated, I had always been alone. I mean, of course, I had friends, but I had wanted you. I had wanted you to come and find me, make me feel wanted and loved, even if it wasn't true. I fell in love with you, Professor, I fell in love with a person who didn't even care…"

Hermione burst into tears again. She had said it. She had said the words that had been weighing on her conscience and heart even before Voldemort was defeated.

"Miss Granger…" Snape said.

Hermione stood up and ran. She could not bear it. She did not want to know that he really did not love her. Her tears blurred her vision and she sobbed as she wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve. It was a hopeless cause, thinking that the bat of the dungeons would have a heart. As long as she did not know, she could continue hoping and pretending. She always held onto the memory of that night, where he had stayed with her until morning.

Hermione crashed headlong into something solid. She looked up and saw that, somehow, Snape had overtaken her, and was now holding her wrists tightly. He raised her chin and made her look into his eyes.

"If you had just told me… If I had known that you had wanted me there, I would have been. I never thought…"

He then kissed her. It was harsh, but Hermione felt like she had died and gone to heaven. She pressed her hands against his chest as she leant into the kiss. However, she felt something hit her back, and she cried out in pain before blacking out.


	8. But there are dreams that cannot be

Author's note: You have been warned. My mind is a very disturbing place. I have not put in the wonderful details that I'm sure some (even more mentally disturbed human beings) people would like, but their imaginations, I'm sure, will be able to fill in the blanks...

* * *

When Hermione regained consciousness, she was chained by her wrists and ankles to the wall in a pitch black room. She squinted in the darkness, hoping to see her surroundings, but she could not discern anything at all. Sudden movement to her right caught her attention, but suddenly, she found herself staring into the face of Lucius Malfoy. 

He flicked his wand, and the room brightened. Hermione looked to her right and cried out. Snape and Serena were in a large box-like container that stretched from the ceiling to the ground. The walls of their prison were transparent, like glass, so Hermione could see that Snape was lying on the floor, unconscious and bound, and Serena was sleeping soundly on her father's chest. Hermione struggled against her bonds and called out to her professor.

"Professor Snape! Professor Snape!"

"He won't hear you, Miss Granger. The box is completely silenced. They can't hear what we say, but we, on the other hand, can hear what they say."

Hermione slumped against the wall.

"What do you want with me?"

"Surely Severus has already explained why I'm here?"

"You want to stop me from testifying." Hermione said, with a steady voice.

"Indeed. So I have a deal for you."

"In return for saving their lives you want my silence, right?" Hermione said dryly.

"Oh, not just that. I want to have what should have been mine in the first place." He said, fingers trailing down the side of Hermione's face. "You should have been given to _me_, but I do not go against my master's wishes. So, I want you to willingly become my pet… and not testify."

"I will never go to you willingly!" Hermione spat.

He slapped her and then wrenched her head painfully towards the transparent cage.

"Their lives are hanging on the line, Miss Granger. If I should wish them dead, the fumes of a deadly potion would diffuse into their prison and they would suffocate and die a very nasty death… both of them."

Hermione's eyes flicked backwards and forwards between Snape and Serena. She knew there was nothing she could do.

"There, there. I never expected that you had been truly in love with Severus, or else I wouldn't have gone through all the pain of tracking you down and I would have just taken him. But what a surprise it was! Seeing my coldest, fellow Deatheater wrapped in a passionate embrace with his one-time student and gift. So, what is your answer?"

Malfoy pointed his wand towards the top of the box and lifted an eyebrow, challenging her- daring her to make him do it. Hermione knew that he would merely kill them both and then take her away.

"I need proof that you will leave them alone for the rest of their lives." Hermione said.

Malfoy lowered his wand and stroked a non-existent beard.

"I could give you my word, but that isn't enough for you, is it? Here."

He flicked his wand. A thin sheet of metal appeared between the ceiling and his two prisoners.

"This should guarantee their safety, for the time being. And so now, I would like a taste of my prize."

Lucius grabbed the back of her head and crushed her lips with his. Hermione struggled against him and he pulled back and slapped her again.

"Do you wish them dead? I said I wanted a willing pet. If you won't be willing then you'll have to be an obedient one, is that clear?"

Hermione nodded. This time, when Lucius kissed her, she kissed back, feeling tears pricking her eyes.

"Very good. Now, let's continue, shall we? A reminder, Miss Granger: any moves to harm myself, at all, will be severely punished and will bring their deaths. There will be no more warnings, Miss Granger. I will have your obedience."

Hermione nodded again, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt him release her from her bonds and she crashed onto the floor. Lucius grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up into a crouching position. He pulled off his robes and trousers, and forced himself into her mouth.

"You know what to do, Miss Granger." Lucius said.

Hermione flinched.

"Hesitation? Perhaps a bit of punishment is required?"

Hermione's eyes flew up to meet his in fear. She was beginning to gag.

"I'll just wake dear Severus, I'm sure he'll _enjoy _the show." Lucius waved his wand.

Hermione tried to pull away, but his hand kept her head still. She watched, out of the corner of her eye, as Snape woke up and caught sight of her.

"Remember out little pact, Miss Granger. Now start." Lucius ordered.

"Hermione! Hermione, no!" Snape cried through the glass.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to push his screams out as Lucius thrust himself repeated into her mouth, moaning in delight. He released his semen into her, and she nearly choked, but he forced her to swallow it. She was then allowed a breather, and she fell onto the ground, crying.

She reached out towards Snape, who had pressed his hands against the walls of his prison. He looked like he had just suffered the Cruciatus. He looked broken.

"Now, now, Hermione. You're not allowed second thoughts. Remove your clothes, facing me."

Hermione stood up, sideways to the box and slowly removed her muggle clothing. When she was down to nothing, Lucius walked forwards and cupped her breasts in his hands.

"Not large, but sufficient…" he said, squeezing them painfully.

Snape had fallen silent. Although he could not hear what was going on, he knew that Lucius was not going to stop. Hermione could not bear seeing him watch her, she could not bear seeing his pain, but she also could not bear the thought of him and their daughter, dead.

"How did dear Severus take you? Did he ever try going from behind? Or was he afraid of hurting his precious student too much?"

Hermione's eyes betrayed her terror, and Lucius smiled.

"Turn around and face the wall." He ordered.

Hermione could do nothing but obey.

"Lucius, you sick bastard." Snape growled.

Malfoy smirked, but did not acknowledge Snape's comment in any other way. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut again, but Lucius Malfoy did not go into her.

"Shall we let him listen, pet?"

Hermione shook her head, but it was no use, she knew. He plunged into her and she screamed in pain. She continued screaming until he once again, released his semen into her. Then, he allowed her to slide onto the floor.

"My pet, tell me, are you enjoying yourself?" Lucius said, rolling Hermione over.

She was sobbing to hard to answer.

"Answer, Miss Granger." He said, eyes flashing.

"Y-Yes, I-I am—"

"No, Hermione!" Snape cried out.

"Well done, pet. Now, I will take you the proper way."

Hermione did not fight back as he climbed on top of her. Nor did she struggle when he thrust into her, causing her to scream in pain. She kept her eyes on Snape, hoping that he would understand. Snape stared back, but Hermione could not bear his hateful gaze and closed her eyes. Lucius finished and pulled out from her.

"A very talented Mudblood, and her skill is all thanks to you, Severus old friend…"

Hermione struggled to her feet and walked towards the box, but Lucius stood in her way.

"No, Miss Granger, you will never see them again. As soon as we leave, they will be released and they will be allowed to leave. You are coming with me, Miss Granger. We shall have plenty of fun when we arrive at our destination… I daresay Draco may decide to join in. Come, pet."

Hermione stepped into his embrace, and waited for him to disapparate, but suddenly, pops echoed around the room and Lucius and Hermione found themselves surrounded by members of the Order. Tonks stepped forward.

"Lucius Malfoy, you are under arrest—"

"Come any closer and the girl dies." He said, spinning Hermione around and pointing a wand at her neck, showing her as a prize to those around the room.

She bowed her head low in humiliation. The Order members had their wands drawn out, but were lowering them, in fear of striking Hermione. Hermione let the last few tears come out from her eyes.

"Let him, Tonks… Let him kill me… I brought this upon myself. Just make sure… Make sure Professor Snape and Serena are safe." Hermione said hoarsely.

"Shut up!" Lucius roared, striking her face.

"Stupefy!" Snape's voice growled.

Hermione felt herself collapse, and heard Lucius' laughter, ringing in her ears as she fell unconscious again.


	9. And there are storms we cannot weather

Just a minor interruption before the start of the next chapter, just to say:

I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS AND READERS TO BITS!

You cannot fathom how high off the ground I was when I saw how much the hit count for my story had upped, and also the reviews. I have now 1949 hit counts for this fic, and, although I am glad at how popular it is so far (compared to other better authors, it probably won't seem much, but compared with my other fics, this is amazing, thank you thank you thank you! ... touch wood).

I have one favour to ask though...

Please please review. I know I make mistakes, and I really would appreciate any comments, constructive or destructive (doesn't really make sense... I'm still a little giddy...)

I would like to thank CareBearErin especially, having reviewed for every single chapter of every one of my fics so far. Thank you! You and all my other reviewers have given me enough motivation to continue into the next chapter (notice, **five** chapters in **two** days, I'm spoiling you too much). I hope it will be as entertaining as the rest of the fic has been. I have quite enjoyed writing it.

Thank you for all of your kind support.

-- blossomed-angel --

* * *

When Hermione woke, she was in the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore was by her bed. Seeing this, she shrank away from him, shaking.

_They hate you... they'll hurt you… _A voice said, echoing in her mind.

Dumbledore frowned when he saw this. He reached out towards her, and Hermione was so frightened she toppled straight out of the bed. The crashing noise sent Madam Pomfrey scurrying in and Harry and Ron running towards her. They gathered around her, but Dumbledore tried to pull them back.

"She is suffering trauma, Poppy, it's best if you don't approach her for a while."

_They'll isolate you, and watch you die…_

Hermione clapped her hands over her ears and whimpered. Ron dropped on his knees and tried to touch her, but she shrieked and backed away from him. His face showed his utter confusion.

"Hermione? It's me, Ron!"

"She may be sensitive to the presence of men…" Madam Pomfrey said.

"Why?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Ron, think of what she's been through." Harry said, exasperated.

Madam Pomfrey tried to move Hermione back onto the bed, but she just rolled under the bed, trembling. The four of them spread themselves around the bed and peeked at her from the sides. Hermione shook even more as she realised that she was surrounded. Trapped.

_They're coming to kill you… They're coming for you, and you have no place to run to… no place to hide…_

Hermione whimpered and curled into a ball. The bed was not high, so there was very little light where she was. Hermione saw Harry stand up and heard him sigh.

"This is like trying to get Coco from underneath the couch." Harry said.

"Cocoa?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I expect this is one of Arabella Figgs' cats, Harry?" Dumbledore said, standing.

"Coco is the most sensitive. Whenever I was sen-visited Mrs. Figgs, Coco would whiz off underneath the sitting room couch, and we'd spend hours trying to coax it out again. It's usually shaking so hard from terror that it'll claw you repeatedly as soon as you get hold of it."

"So you're thinking of getting bait and coaxing Hermione out? Hermione's not an animal! She's a human being!" Ron exclaimed.

"She's also suffering from trauma. Which do you prefer? Leaving her under there to continue suffering? Or coaxing her out and hopefully doing something about it?" Harry said angrily.

"Fine… but what do you plan on doing?" Ron snapped.

"Well, Mrs. Figgs and I usually leave the room for a few minutes and by the time we come back in, Coco's sitting on the couch, and we have just enough time to literally pounce on it."

"Well, it's worth a try…" Madam Pomfrey said.

Hermione waited until they were gone before relaxing slightly. Nothing of what they had said had sunk in. She had heard them speak, but it was like she had forgotten how to understand English. She waited for half an hour before deeming it safe to come out. She crawled out and looked around for an escape route, but found none. The wand that had been on her bedside table when she woke, was gone.

She sat on the bed, feeling caged, and rocked backwards and forwards, as the voice continued taunting her in her head.

_It's your fault… you're tainted… look at your hands…_

Hermione stared at her hands. She did not even notice when the others re-entered the room. From the others' point of view, Hermione looked more than traumatised. She looked as though she had lost her mind. She was speaking silently to herself, her lips opening and closing at different intervals. She stared at her hands as though she could see something that nobody else could.

They approached slowly and silently, but when they were less than a metre from her, her head snapped up and she disappeared under the bed again.

"Now what?"

"That sometimes happens as well… Coco is particularly fond of this toy, and is usually coaxed out of hiding very easily with it."

"So why don't we go and get Hermione's transfiguration textbook?" Ron said.

"No… Hermione gave up on her education, remember?" Harry said patiently.

"What are you going to get then?" Ron asked.

"The only thing I think would work would get me killed if I even approached within a one mile radius of it."

"Why don't I go?" Ron said..

"I think it would be best if Professor Dumbledore went." Harry said.

Footsteps left the room, most likely bringing the headmaster with them. Hermione continued fighting with the strangely familiar voice in her head while the other occupants of the room paced, sighed, and basically tried to vent off their anxiety.

Half an hour later, the doors to the Hospital Wing crashed open and Hermione saw Snape's face appear.

"Miss Granger, get out from under there immediately!" He snapped impatiently.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut.

_He isn't even calling you 'Hermione' anymore… He hates you, hates you for what you did…_

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered.

"Severus, bluntness will not help." Madam Pomfrey admonished.

"Hermione, will you come out?" Snape said, voice softening.

_They're trying to trick you into going out. They'll kill you… Slaughter you like a mere beast. They're treating you like an animal, remember that they were pretending you're a cat? They don't love you. Nobody does._

Hermione curled up and moved as far away as she could from Snape without actually coming out from her hiding place. Suddenly, arms grasped hold of her firmly and pulled her out from under the bed. Hermione shrieked and struggled.

"Merlin! She's fighting like a wildcat!" Ron said.

Ron and Harry grabbed her arms, but Hermione put all of her weight towards the floor and kicked their shins.

"Bloody hell! Ouch, Hermione!" Ron said again.

Harry grunted in the effort to keep Hermione from escaping. She was twisting her body in all sorts of directions trying to break free. Suddenly, Serena was held in front of her. The baby was asleep, and Hermione stopped fighting. She stared at Serena, desperately wanting to hold her daughter again.

_You're tainted, Hermione, do you wish to infect your daughter?_

"Get her away! Get her away!" Hermione screeched.

The looks of shock on everyone's faces was burnt into her mind.

"Headmaster, take Serena. Potter, Weasley, let me take her." Snape said.

A memory of Lucius' blonde hair swept through her mind. His eyes—his smirk as he said

_"I will take you."_

Hermione screamed and struggled as Harry and Ron let Snape encompass her with his arms and held her still. She scratched at his face, hit his chest and cried as he held her to his body, not letting go.

_He's going to hurt you… He's going to punish you for hurting him._

"NO!" Hermione cried.

She continued fighting back until she ran out of energy and slumped into Snape's embrace. She sobbed.

"Let me go… let me go…"

"Miss Granger, tell us what's wrong and we'll try to fix it." Snape said.

Hermione pulled away and stared at her trembling hands.

"My hands… My hands…" She repeated.

"What is wrong with your hands?" Snape asked tentatively.

"They're covered in it… I can't touch her… I can't touch anyone… They're covered…"

"What are they covered in?" Snape asked.

"They're black… all black… if I touch anyone, the black will spread. That's what he said…"

"Who?"

Hermione paused for a moment, thinking.

"I don't know. He's speaking now… He says you've come to hurt me…" Hermione sobbed.

"No one is speaking, Hermione." Ron's voice cut in.

"Is his voice in your head, Miss Granger?"

"YES! Make it STOP!" Hermione said clapping her hands over her ears. "Get away from me! Get away!"

She began struggling again.

"Miss Granger! Miss Granger! Listen to me!" Snape ordered.

Hermione stopped for a moment, fear in her eyes as she waited.

"I am tainted as well… I have done many things that have tainted my hands… Calm yourself. You're safe." Snape said.

Hermione's eyes continued darting around madly, until what Snape said sank in and she cried. She held onto him, crying into his robes. He petted her hair, comforting the shuddering girl.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I'm sorry…" Hermione sobbed. "You looked so hurt… I hurt you… I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

Snape stiffened slightly, causing Hermione to cling on tightly.

"Please, don't hate me… I'm sorry… Don't leave me alone, please!" She begged. "He made me… He made me… he hurt me, Professor. It still hurts… So much… so much…"

Hermione was rocking backwards and forwards again, clinging onto Snape's clothes. Tears poured from her glassy eyes. In her mind's eye, she was reliving the experience, over and over again. She screamed, a high-pitched, unearthly sound emitting from her mouth.

"Merlin's beard! What was that?" Ron said.

"The same scream she had given when Lucius Malfoy had taken her from behind, Mr. Weasley. I expect you do not need any more of the sordid details." Snape said dryly.

"She's going through it again." Harry whispered. "It's happening to her all over again, in her mind…"

* * *

Another short note (plus advertisement): 

If you really hated any particular part of this fic, any chapter you especially found annoying/disturbing/insulted your intelligence, please tell me, I have already edited one of my other fics, because someone had kindly pointed out that one of my characters was not acting as they should have done.

Anyway, that is not any of your concern, unless you would like to read 'Emerald Fire' or 'Blind', two of my other original fanfics, or a fanfic that I have been asked to continue - 'Escape from Reality', which has not been developed, but it will, even if not at the moment, hopefully be able to show you the same war from the point of view of the Slytherins. Some romance in that one hopefully and a nice cheesy ending if I can make one. It may not sound appealing, but it will certainly make you feel sorry for the Slytherins, even if you don't particularly like them. And if you don't, I think that this fic may not be to your taste.

I'll probably make the ending of this one very fluffy and sweet and oozing with the cheese, but until then, there will be trauma and lots of repercussions. A sequel is beginning to form in my mind for this one, so... something to look forward to?

Reviews are very welcome and will most certainly encourage my... blank (I'll leave that one for you to fill in) mind to think up the next chapter and finish this fic off.

-- blossomed-angel --


	10. I dreamed a dream in time gone by

It took weeks until Hermione allowed anyone to approach her. It took even longer for her to allow Snape to leave the Hospital Wing without her bursting into hysterics.

After a lot of therapy, Hermione finally blocked the voice from her mind, and she was able to hold her daughter again, without too much fuss.

When Hermione was finally able to leave the Hospital Wing, she spent every day, gradually going further and further away. But once, Ron had pressured her to go further than she wanted to, and she tried, but ended up collapsing onto the floor and becoming hysterical again.

Needless to say, the Daily Prophet got wind of this story and published an article, saying that Hermione Granger had 'lost her marbles'. Hermione had refused to leave her room for days until Dumbledore managed to squeeze a formal public apology out of Rita Skeeter.

Months after her incident in Germany, Hermione was finally able to walk outside of Hogwarts comfortably. She was starting to participate in conversations with her close friends, but was still reluctant to speak during social occasions with strangers. She was opening up, little by little, recovering gradually from what had happened. She learnt that it was not her fault, and although she still doubted it, she gave no indication of it.

When she was finally able to travel into London, she was escorted, by Snape, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore to testify against Lucius. She had tried a few times to escape, not wanting to face the monster, but they had encouraged her to be brave. She had many times ended up crying, begging, scratching, kicking, biting, doing anything possible to escape having to face her worst nightmare. But they had stood firm, determined that facing her fears would be the best cure for her.

So, half a year after the incident, she was standing in a large room before the Wizemgot, trembling in fear and anticipation, and clinging, once more, to Snape's arm. When Lucius Malfoy was finally brought into the room, Hermione looked resolutely away.

"Lucius Malfoy, you stand charged for taking part in Deatheater activities, manipulating the government, casting unforgivables, and the rape of Hermione Granger six months ago. Hermione Granger is willing to give evidence for almost all of these. Will you come forward, Miss Granger?"

Hermione had to be literally dragged towards the table, and she was forced to look at Lucius Malfoy's smirking face. Even on the brink of being sentenced to a life-sentence in Azkaban, he could still find something to smirk at.

"Miss Granger, did you witness Lucius Malfoy as one of those who attacked Hogwarts in September, the night you had been captured?"

Hermione's mind went backwards in time.

She had been fighting the Deatheaters, and after being released from the Cruciatus curse, she had stood up and ripped off the mask of the nearest Deatheater, which happened to belong to Lucius Malfoy. That was when she had been struck by more curses and was 'rescued' by Professor Snape.

"Y-yes, I did." Hermione said quietly.

"Did Lucius Malfoy cast the Cruciatus curse on you?"

"Yes." Hermione said, looking away.

"Miss Granger, did Lucius Malfoy rape you?"

Hermione's body shook. His eyes, his hands… She could feel him touching her, his skin against hers, his taste in her mouth, his flesh in her mouth. Hermione swung around and was able to mutter a spell just in time to throw up into her conjured bucket.

Harry pulled back her hair while she threw up her breakfast, emptying her stomach. She remembered his words:

"I want you to willingly become my pet."

She had done it willingly. She had gone to him willingly. She had not said 'stop' or 'no' or plead for him to let go. She had obeyed his every word. She had done what he had asked her, without objections. How could it have been rape? She pushed herself away from everyone, and cowered in the corner of the room.

"Miss Granger, just say yes, or no." A member of the Wizemgot said.

Snape approached her, but she struggled to get away. She clawed at the locked exit.

"The girl seems mentally unstable, are you sure she is a reliable witness?" Lucius said, smirking.

"She's only like this because of what you did to her!" Harry said angrily.

"Quiet! Mr. Potter, if you cannot remain silent, we will have to send you from court. Mr. Malfoy, if you wish to speak in your defence, you may do so."

"I never raped the girl. I had asked her, and she had willingly come to me."

The voice returned in full force.

_They'll hate you… You can't run… you can't hide. It's your own fault. IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT. Tell them, tell them and watch as they recoil from you._

Suddenly, Hermione realised that the voice was Lucius Malfoy's. She tried to block it out unsuccessfully.

"Hermione, just say answer them." Ron begged. "We'll get you out of here."

Hermione looked up at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

"Come on Hermione, just answer them!" Ron said.

"That was my answer." Hermione whispered.

There was silence in the courtroom. Snape looked confused. So did Harry and Ron. Lucius Malfoy looked victorious.

"I had agreed. He had told me he only wanted a willing pet, and I had obeyed. I never said anything to stop him. It was my own fault… my own fault… my own fault…"

Hermione was rocking backwards and forwards again. Harry and Ron looked shocked. Snape just stared blankly at her. It hurt her to see them look at her as though she were mad. Hermione stared at her hands again. The taint was back, her hands were sooty black. She looked at her wand and transfigured her mother's necklace, which she wore all the time now, into a knife and turned it towards herself.

"NO!"

All three men grabbed her hand. She struggled against them before remembering that she still had her wand. She stunned Harry and Ron successfully, but Snape was still holding on. Members of the Wizemgot were approaching her, and Hermione felt the knife being torn from her grasp. She then tried to use her wand, but she was stunned, and she fell into darkness.

She woke up, hours later, and saw people around her. She tried to curl up or run away, but her movement was restrained by bonds. Her eyes opened wide in horror as her mind remembered the sound of her chains crashing against the wall.

"NO! NO!" She screamed.

"Poppy!" Someone called out.

"No, Malfoy! Let them go! Let them go…" Hermione was convulsing.

"Get Professor Snape!" Lupin's voice thundered.

Hermione could hear the noise, but her mind would not register it. His hands… his fingers touching her… she thrashed about, trying to escape from her bonds. Lucius released her and she felt herself fall.

Hermione crashed onto the floor, and to everyone's horror, she was tugging at the air, as though someone's hand was holding onto her hair.

"No… don't let him watch…" Hermione pleaded.

"Miss Granger. Miss Granger!" Snape yelled shaking her shoulders.

He stood up and turned on the people in the room. Remus Lupin was shaking, Harry and Ron were looking stunned, Madam Pomfrey was near tears, Professor Dumbledore was looking on sadly.

"Whose _idiotic _idea was it to chain her to the bed?" Snape growled.

"We thought—"

"Mr. Weasley, you obviously did not think or you would have remembered what was found on the walls where Lucius Malfoy had _bound _her. _Chains_, Mr. Weasley. He had chained the girl to the wall. How could you not expect her memory to be jogged?" He was furious.

Behind him, Hermione was slowly coming out of her delirium. She struggled to understand what was happening.

"Complete idiots! I expected better of you, Lupin."

Snape turned on Hermione and she whimpered in fear. She tried to move away, but Snape knelt down and held her still.

"Why?" She asked.

"Lucius Malfoy has been sentenced life in Azkaban, Miss Granger. The Wizemgot said that your… instability was enough proof that he had damaged you emotionally by what he had done, whether he had forced you or not. What insanity made you think that ending your life was the right choice to make?" He snarled.

Hermione struggled to get away. She was so frightened of him…

"Miss Granger! Miss Granger! Remember that you have a daughter who suffers as everyday passes that she does not see her mother."

Hermione stopped struggling, but tears flowed.

"How can I hold her? How can I even touch her? How can you even touch me, knowing that I had done it willingly?"

"Willingly or not, Miss Granger, what's done is done." He said, eyes cold.

Hermione nodded and fell silent. Snape made sure she was safely tucked into bed before sweeping out of the room.

He did not come back in weeks that came to pass. Hermione stayed by Harry and Ron's side as they helped her accustom to the outside world again. She was recovering, but although on the outside she seemed happy, she felt terrible inside. Serena often asked why Hermione had disappeared so often, and Hermione had told her that she had been very ill. Serena seemed to understand what Hermione was saying. They now lived in a set of rooms near to the dungeons, but Snape never visited them while Hermione was around. Listening to Serena recount her time spent with her father so happily often broke Hermione's heart. Snape was avoiding her.

Hermione remembered what he said before he had kissed her in the park, and, finally, one day, plucked up her courage and sought Snape out after having tucked Serena into bed. She would face her fears, after all, what could be worse than having to go to court and confess ones sins to the Wizemgot?

* * *

Author's Note (18/07/05): 

I have seen my disgusting punctuation, grammatical, and spelling errors in chapters 5 and 6 and have edited them slightly. I heard from a reviewer that they found that Voldemort dies too quickly so I have drawn it out slightly. If you want a plot that is less centralled around romance, but more on drama and defeating evil etc., the sequel may be more to your taste. Yes, I have decided to continue the fic.

Thank you to all my reviewers. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. And, as per usual, reviews will be most welcome! They keep me from being depressed and unmotivated to write. Oh! And thank you to those who went to read 'Escape from Reality'. No reviews yet, so I don't know whether to feel encouraged or discouraged, but I will be updating that story more often.

-- blossomed-angel --


	11. I dreamed that love would never die

She knocked on the door leading into his office, and waited. Hermione was scared. Would he be angry? Would he ignore her? After five minutes, the latter seemed correct as no one had appeared to open the door. She turned away, eyes burning to cry and disappointed.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione turned. Snape was standing at the door, scowling.

"Can I come in?" Hermione asked, afraid.

Snape stepped to the side and she hurried in before he closed the door.

"Sit." He said.

Hermione obeyed and slid into the nearest chair. Snape sighed and sat on the other side of the desk, in his own chair.

"What is it?" He said.

Hermione did not know where to start. All she had wanted was to see him again. She suddenly felt very embarrassed.

"Miss Granger, I have assignments to mark. Do you plan on wasting my time for much longer?" He said.

His voice was filled with spite, and Hermione winced, but his words had the appropriate effect, and she began to speak.

"Professor… You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"

"My world, fortunately, does not revolve around you, Miss Granger."

His words stung her, but she did not cry.

"You're angry with me." She merely said.

"Miss Granger, you really are wasting my time."

"Then throw me out! Order me to leave and I will! I'll leave and not come back." Hermione said, bolting upright.

"Miss Granger, I am not about to let you go back into the Muggle World, you are in no condition to look after yourself, let alone your daughter as well." He said coolly, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Then I'll leave her with you."

"Miss Granger, do you even know what you are saying?" Snape snarled, standing.

"I know what I am doing. You may hate me, but you don't hate her. I know it. She talks about you all the time. She'd be happier here than following me around the world, trying to keep out of the clutches of the Order." Tears formed at the corners of Hermione's eyes, threatening to overflow.

"Miss Granger, stop acting so foolishly!" He said, approaching her.

Hermione backed away from him, into the door.

"Harry and Ron won't mention your name in front of me. Something's wrong. I've known it, but nobody will admit it. You know it hurts me to be alone."

"You're best friends have been looking after you quite well." He countered.

"But they have their own lives! I can't stop them from going back to Auror training, it makes me feel so… so guilty!"

"And I must come and answer to your beck and call?" Snape said angrily.

"I never said that! Remus has been assuring me that you would come and visit. That's all I wanted! For you to come and see me. Or, if you refused to acknowledge me, let me see you. Just once in a while… I keep remembering… and nobody knows… nobody cares… they all think that I'm fine, that I'm recovering. But I still have nightmares, I still wake up wishing I were _dead_!"

"Miss Granger, your death would only hurt others around you—"

"Why do you _think _I haven't thrown myself off the Astronomy tower yet?" Hermione snapped.

There was only silence. Hermione's hand finally found the door handle and she tumbled out of the room backwards and bolted. She ran back to her rooms and packed her bags, stopping only to place a quick kiss on Serena's forehead before leaving in a sprint.

However, she had barely made it past the gates when she was grabbed from behind. Her shriek died on her lips. The moon illuminated Snape's angry features and she saw herself reflected in his eyes.

"Miss Granger, this is ridiculous."

"As ridiculous as feeling the person you love above everything else hate you?" Hermione said spitefully.

"Did I ever say that?"

Hermione blinked stuidly.

"Is there a factual basis for your belief that I hate you?"

Hermione waited almost a whole minute before shaking her head.

"You looked so angry in the Hospital Wing…" She said weakly.

"I _was _angry, Miss Granger. For Merlin's sake, I failed you. I failed the Order! I promised I would bring you and Serena back safe and sound. You were both safe but you were hardly sound in the head. I should have been more cautious. I had let down my guard. I only had enough time to realise you had been stunned before I, too, had been stunned. Then to watch him use you like a puppet and be completely incapable to stop him… If it were not for the Order, Merlin knows how that day might have ended! But they had arrived too late. They had set me free, and in a moment of madness, I lashed out, but my spell hit you…"

Snape let go of Hermione and covered his face with his hands.

"My spell had hit you instead. The look of horror on everyone's faces. They had been barely able to restrain me from killing Lucius. I had been very close…" A strange smirk appeared on his lips.

"And then… to find out that you had gone willingly to him..." He cleared his throat. "It hurt me more than I was willing to admit, even to myself. So I avoided you. I was angry at you at first, but then only at myself. I knew that you were looking for me, but I recoiled from it. Everyday you looked more and more tense and tired, but Potter and Weasley, those incompetent fools, didn't even notice. I hadn't expected you to appear. When you did, I felt childishly angry again."

"You have a right to." Hermione interrupted quietly.

"Don't go… Don't make me have to come search for you again. Don't break your daughter's heart; our daughter's heart."

Snape wiped away the tears on Hermione's face. She trembled and her resolve left her. She walked into his welcoming embrance, and he held her tightly, almost crushing her, as though he felt she would disappear any second.

"Show me." Hermione whispered.

"What?" Snape asked, sounding puzzled.

"That you love me." Hermione said, smiling.

The moonlight reflected the joy in her eyes, and something inside him melted away. He kissed her softly and then led her back into the school, into the dungeons, and into his life.

* * *

Author's note (10/04/07): 

I am very sorry for my lack of consistency in updating. I have revamped this chapter, but in reality, I had forgotten to set this fic as being complete - apologies again.

The last chapter is finally done and dusted after several renovations (I hope it was sweet enough for everyone - I can't cope with writing anything sweeter...). I have already started a sequel, which will be posted as soon as possible. Please review. I love all of my readers really, but I love my reviewers even more .

Thank you very much for everyone's continued support!

-- blossomedangel--

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters in this story, which was inspired by J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. I do not claim any ownership of anything that may be recognised as part of the published Harry Potter books. However, the plot is rightly mine and mine alone.


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